How to check a contractor license in Florida

In Florida, search the contractor's name or license number in the DBPR license search at MyFloridaLicense.com. The Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses general, building, residential, roofing, plumbing and air conditioning contractors, and electrical contractors answer to a separate board. A certified license is good statewide, while a registered license only covers certain cities or counties.

How do I verify a contractor license in Florida?

Search the contractor in the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) license search, using the license number, the contractor's name or the business name. DBPR says you need one of those three to look a contractor up.

Ask the contractor for the license number, or get the exact name of the person or business.
Open the DBPR search at myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp and pick Search by Name, Search by License Number, Search by City or County, or Search by License Type.
Confirm the license is current and active.
Check that the license type fits the job, such as a roofing contractor for a new roof.
Look at the occupation code. Codes that start with C are certified, and codes that start with R are registered.
Confirm the name on the license matches the business you hired.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. The search page loaded normally that day. If a record confuses you, call the Construction Industry Licensing Board at 850-487-1395.

What is the difference between a certified and registered contractor in Florida?

A certified contractor can work anywhere in Florida, while a registered contractor can only work in the cities or counties where it met the local competency requirements. Certified licenses use occupation codes that start with C, such as CG for a general contractor, and registered licenses start with R, such as RG.

This matters most when a contractor travels for work. A registered roofer can be fully legal in one county and still not allowed to contract for a job in the next county over. Check that the registration covers the place where the house is, and ask the local building department if you're unsure.

What license does a roofer need in Florida?

Roofing contractor is its own license category under the Construction Industry Licensing Board, with a certified version (code CC) and a registered version (code RC). You look a roofer up in the same DBPR search as any other contractor.

Some roofing jobs raise questions about scope, such as which license covers a particular repair. For a question about a specific job, call the CILB at 850-487-1395 rather than taking the contractor's word for it.

Who licenses electricians in Florida?

The Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board, which is part of DBPR, licenses electrical contractors. It uses the same split as construction: a certified license is good anywhere in Florida, and a registered license only covers the cities or counties where the contractor has a competency card.

Electrical contractors show up in the same DBPR license search, so you check them the same way. For a registered electrical contractor, confirm the registration covers the city or county where the house is.

Which Florida jobs may not need a state license?

Some smaller trades may not need one. DBPR says some construction work, such as cabinets, countertops, flooring, paint, wallpaper and window treatments, may not require a state license. For those jobs, ask the local building department what applies where the house is.

Even when a state license exists, the record has limits. If you check contractors in other states too, the state-by-state list covers each one, and these limits apply there as well:

It says nothing about the quality of the work. A current license means the contractor met the board's requirements, not that past clients were happy.
Insurance is a separate question. Ask for a current certificate of insurance before a big job.
Complaints only matter if someone filed them. A clean record can mean unhappy customers never went to the board.
It doesn't confirm who's at the door. Make sure the person on site works for the business on the license.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for Georgia and Alabama are on their own pages.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with DBPR or your local building department.

Sources

Agents can keep these contractors in Proferral

Proferral is a free app real estate agents use to keep a go-to list of the providers they trust and to remember every referral they send. Its license checks cover Oregon and Washington only, so for Florida you still run the lookup above by hand. Here's how Proferral's license checks work.

Start your list, free

It's free, no credit card needed, and you're never charged unless you choose Pro.